Computerized calling, or “broadcast voice messaging” systems, are known, as are computerized telephone survey systems. Such prior art systems can automatically dial a list of phone numbers, detect the called phone go off hook and then generate a voice message to the called number. Telephone survey systems allow call recipients to press telephone keys to indicate responses to each question. Broadcast voice messaging systems typically deliver the same, single voice message to each recipient, whether the message be associated with a telephone survey, or an outgoing message only.
Some broadcast voice messaging systems can personalize the content of the message delivered, using text-to-speech engines. A limitation or short coming of prior art computerized calling systems is that they sound like computers. They are therefore limited in that they can either deliver a single generic message, or the personalized content sounds like a computer. A computer-generated voice message system that delivered personalized, life-like messages would be an improvement over the prior art. Some telephone survey systems can include “branching logic” which changes the subsequent question based on the recipient's previous response. A limitation or short coming of the prior art computerized telephone survey system is that they cannot interact in a lifelike, personalized fashion with the survey recipient, which makes the survey recipient much more likely to complete the survey.
A further limitation of prior art computerized telephone survey systems is that the survey recipients are not afforded the opportunity to provide spoken feedback to the survey.